Ray Peterson
| Ray Peterson | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Ray T. Peterson |
| Born |
April 23, 1939 Denton, Texas, United States |
| Died | January 25, 2005 (aged 65) Smyrna, Tennessee |
| Genres | Traditional pop, country, rock and roll, rockabilly |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 1958–1972 |
| Labels | RCA Victor Records, Dunes Records |
Ray Peterson (April 23, 1939 – January 25, 2005) was an American pop singer who was best remembered for singing "Tell Laura I Love Her" and "Corrina, Corrina".
Ray T. Peterson was born in Denton, Texas. As a boy he had to overcome polio. Blessed with a four-octave singing voice, Peterson moved to Los Angeles, California, where he was signed to a recording contract by RCA Victor Records in 1958. He recorded several songs that were minor hits until "The Wonder of You" made it into the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart on June 15, 1959. The song would later be recorded by Elvis Presley, with whom Peterson became friends. Peterson scored a Top 10 hit with the teenage tragedy song, "Tell Laura I Love Her". In the UK, Decca Records made the decision not to release the latter recording on the grounds that it was "too tasteless and vulgar," and destroyed about twenty thousand copies that had already been pressed. A cover version by Ricky Valance, released by EMI on the Columbia label, was No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.
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